The sacrifice for beauty
by Kiriin
Summary: Aomine's getting suspicious about Kise's health. Written for KnB Anon-meme.


Aomine was worried; which was usually rather unheard of. Normally he wasn't aware when something wasn't going as it should, nor did he really put the effort to catch any glimpse or sound of misfortune around him. He was busy enough with his own life, so he thought.

"… You've been looking rather pale lately Kise." The blond had eyed him in surprise. Those words he uttered came out of the blue during dinner that night. Kise had been sleeping most of the day, claiming he wasn't feeling too well. Something fishy was going on, since a few weeks Kise had pretty much toned down to a rather mellow state; whenever he got back from work or school he would just go straight to bed – That meant it was allowed to be worrying, was what Aomine thought.

Still Kise just laughed it off, waving his hand in a "don't-worry-about-me"-kind of gesture. "It's probably just exhaustion Aominecchi. Things have been busy, you know?"

Exhaustion my ass, how could he be with those many hours of sleep he granted himself lately.

Despite Kise's reassuring words Aomine felt restless, but mostly helpless. Either the man was really good at keeping up appearances or he was actually just having a tough time. He couldn't help being skeptical. His usual peaches-and-cream skin now looked rather pasty, his hazel eyes lifeless and tired.. It annoyed him – Kise wasn't like himself; if he were than he would've been all over him wailing something about the fact he did worry about him after all.

He was just simply put aside like nothing was going on.

As days passed things weren't looking as pleasant as Aomine had hoped. Kise was coming home late more often than he liked – he knew his job as a model was asking a lot of his energy yet with every day he looked even more beat. Albeit his worries he kept silent, but he wasn't pleased.

For some reason Kise started to look thinner – his muscle mass was slowly decreasing and his weight seemed to drop. One night Aomine had faked sleeping to secretly stare at his lover getting undressed after coming back late again – he swore he could count all Kise's ribs.

It wasn't until one morning a month later that Aomine had reached his limit. Things were getting out of hand as he noticed how fragile Kise was looking – His health was decreasing day by day and Aomine felt that he was casting away from him. Whenever they made love Kise didn't seem to feel it like he used to, nor did he seem to enjoy a single bit of it. The touches that used to set his heart, mind and soul aflame were now cold and distant, as if Kise's hands had forgotten how to embrace him. His kisses that used to be wet and sloppy, filled with lust and wanton passion didn't exist anymore.

"You're not okay!" Aomine barked in blind anger, a fight had escalated the moment Kise refused to touch the dinner he'd cooked for them both that night. It was the first time in days that Kise was home for dinner, he wasn't sure whether he ate enough whenever he was out but slowly Aomine started to sense a pattern in the happened events. "There's something wrong, you're not telling me.. so you better give me a damn good explanation why you look so jaundiced!"

"I've told you many times before Aominecchi, I'm _fine._" Kise stressed, he'd taken a liking in putting emphasizes whenever he saw fit. It only put more fuel on the fire. Why didn't he see that he feared for his health – He loved him with all his heart yet he didn't seem to get through to the blond man before him. No matter how hard he tried. "I-I'm just busy.."

Enough. "I've had it with your "busy" schedule crap, seemingly you have more important business to attend to than being here with me!" Fuming with anger he lost control over his emotions – the normally cool and collect Aomine Daiki crumbled to pieces. "Weren't we supposed to trust each other?! Kise!"

"It has nothing to do with you!" He cried out, tears falling from his sleep-deprived eyes. It was a deafening shriek that echoed through the entire room. Immediately Aomine lifted his gaze and looked straight into those jaded eyes of his lover – totally overwhelmed. Did he hear that right, he didn't need him? So that was it?

For months Aomine had held back the urge to reach out to the person he loved most, while he worried his ass off which he'd never ever done before for anyone else in the world. And yet, that person that mattered most of all pushed him away as if he was a complete stranger.

That night Aomine and Kise slept separately for the first time in two years; the blond had locked himself up in their bedroom and hadn't left since. It forced Aomine to spend the night on the couch. For long he'd thought that this kind of situations only occurred in sappy American rom-com films.. Yet there he was, he could praise himself lucky finding a spare blanket in the storage room.

But sleep didn't get to him, tossing and turning while his mind replayed that exact scene of Kise screaming it wasn't his business. Over and over again he felt himself choke on his breath, tormenting himself with the anguish that made his blood boil. But most of all he felt betrayed. They'd promised that trust and honesty were the two main things they'd live by in this relationship… yet now, now suddenly it wasn't his business?

Slowly his eyes started to fall close, finally he could get some rest.. If it wasn't for the deafening sound of things clashing down – broken glass and the dull thumb of something hitting the ground. "Kise!" Without thinking twice Aomine got on his feet, running towards the origin of the sound. "Kise open up!" His fists hit the solid surface of the wooden door, beating on it hard as it was impossible for him entering when it was locked on the inside. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he desperately tugged onto the doorknob without much success. "KISE!"

But his screaming wouldn't reach, his words wouldn't be heard. On the other side of the door Kise laid sprawled on the floor – unconscious.

It had been about two months back when Kise was called to his boss' office – he wasn't quite pleased with his physique in the latest issues he posed for. He was asked to eat healthier from that point on otherwise he would risk his job. Of course, being someone who hated to disappoint others, Kise took the "advice" and switched to a healthy diet.

But his efforts were fruitless, somehow it had seemed he'd only gained weight since the first time he measured. He started to panic, shooting would take place within two weeks and he had only gained while he was to lose it.

Helplessly he started looking for ways to lose that extra weight that could cost him his career as a model and resorted to searching the internet for clues. A whole new world opened up to him – He started reading articles about female models in America who.. vomited after eating to get rid of fats and carbs. He knew it could be dangerous getting himself to throw up.. but the results were remarkable. In two weeks a girl who weighted 65 kg went to a stunning 48, which flipped the switch in Kise's mind.

The first time had been frightening, he had wandered around the toilet bowl for roughly thirty minutes before he actually dared to slide the end of his toothbrush down his throat, forcing the plastic against his uvula. He'd cried, regretting he'd even tried it at all and how stupid it had to even think this was a healthy thing to do. But days later, after going out with Aomine and the Generation for their monthly meet-up (all according to Akashi's rule, of course) he'd felt so guilty for downing an entire burger menu that he tried it once again. That time it hadn't been as terrifying and it gotten more and more natural to him.

While others, and especially Aomine, started to notice the changes in him he only saw progress. In just a small amount of time Kise had managed to lose eight kilos. He was pleasantly surprised that it was working and mentally he felt the happiest he'd ever felt about himself. His photo shoot was the best he'd had in a long time and everyone was pleased by his efforts. His job was done, his career was saved.

But what he hadn't foreseen was something that would put him in a life threatening situation. After going with the crew for a celebratory dinner Kise had spent most of the time hanging above the toilet bowl – emptying the total of his stomach right after he'd eaten.

From there on things only went downhill, Aomine started to bother him with annoying questions that got him only more frustrated – He knew he was worried, but there was nothing wrong with him right? It was all in good fashion to be able to pursue his dreams. It would all be alright, he just needed to keep up what he could and could not eat.

However things didn't go as planned – on the contrary they only worsened, and tonight had been his limit as much as it had been to Aomine. For weeks he'd tried getting back to his old eating habits only to have it all forced out of him again. It was only then that Kise realized in how much trouble he was.

After looking himself away, not wanting to be confronted with his illness any longer he'd found shelter in bed – where he'd stayed until he started feeling dizzy. For a moment he thought it was just the stress that put pressure on him, yet when he tried standing up to get a glass of water the world around him started spinning and before he could even sit down everything before him turned black.

-/-

"How's he doing doctor.."

"We've put all the infuses useful in now, all the nutrition he's lacking will be tubed in to get him back on his feet again."

Aomine sighed in relief, it was true that Kise looked slightly healthier than that night before. He'd managed to unlock the door soon after and found his lover unconscious on the floor, in total panic Aomine still managed to phone the ambulance and not more than five minutes later they arrived on the spot. Kise hadn't been in a life-threatening situation.. but if it had been like this for much longer he would've been worse.

His hand carefully glided through those blond locks – he'd given him quite a scare. But after the doctor's verdict it all fell into place, it finally made sense; Kise suffered from Bulimia nervosa, a very aggressive sort on top of that. It explained the way he seemed to lose weight nearly every day, his fatigue and his weird eating habits.

But from here things would only get better, he was in good care at the hospital he was brought to and was under surveillance of a couple of beautiful nurses – lucky bastard, he thought as he let his thumb caress the guy's well-defined jawbones.

Aomine would never understand Kise's will to live up to the expectations of others, of course they were two different types of people.. Aomine had never felt the need to please others as long as he was doing well himself, but apparently it was rather complex in that way for the other.

"If you ever do this again.. I'll kill you myself." He muttered, even though Kise would never hear those words. Of course it wasn't literally what he meant as he knew he would be torn to have lost him. Slowly he leaned in, pressing his lips softly against Kise's forehead. "I love you Kise.." It was just a mere whisper, as the doctor was standing not too far away from him and wouldn't want him to get any ideas. "You'll be alright.."


End file.
